


Cafe Conversations

by Fox_the_Reaper



Category: Persona 5
Genre: But only if you squint, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26437759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fox_the_Reaper/pseuds/Fox_the_Reaper
Summary: In the aftermath of Shido's Palace, Ren seeks reassurance.Or Sojiro may not be Ren's dad, but Ren is most certainly his kid.
Relationships: Persona 5 Protagonist & Sakura Futaba, Persona 5 Protagonist & Sakura Sojiro
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66
Collections: Skurrel's Personal Fanfic Recommendations





	Cafe Conversations

"Sojiro," Ren's voice is quiet in the stillness of the empty cafe. That in itself is hardly unusual, but all it takes is one look at the kid's face to see that whatever he wants, it must be serious.

"Can I... can we talk?" There's hesitation in his normally confident voice, and Sojiro can't see the cat anywhere.

"Why not?" he drawls, gesturing at a bare stool. Sojiro thinks if he were any less casual the kid might bolt. "What's this about?" he prompts.

It still takes a solid five minutes before Ren speaks. Sojiro waits, preparing a pot of coffee for lack of anything else to do, sliding one cup toward his charge and nursing another. The steam is pleasantly warm.

"It's about Akechi," he says finally, words tumbling out almost as fast as he could make them. And... well. There's not much Sojiro wants to say about that murderer. He killed Wakaba, he thinks, his grip on his mug turning pale from the force. But Ren can't even bring himself to meet Sojiro's eyes. He supposes if anyone had the right to talk about the former Detective Prince then it would be one of his would-be victims.

The thought doesn't help. Sojiro sets his mug down with a little more force than necessary. "What about him?"

There's a little more uncharacteristic dithering on Ren's part before he finally seems to work up the courage to continue. "I just... I want to understand. Akechi... he killed so many people. Haru's dad, Isshiki-san," he winces and has the good grace to look apologetic for bringing it up. Sojiro just waves at him to continue. If he keeps stalling they'll be at this all night.

"Even if you don't count the people that he didn't target directly, Akechi would still be one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history," Ren barrels on, pained. 

There's really nothing Sojiro can say about that. Every word is true, after all. 

"He tried to kill _me_."

Another moment of silence. Just when Sojiro is starting to consider telling him to get on with it, Ren continues.

"Even if he saved us at the end, it was too little, too late. He hurt hundreds of people. I don't understand..." his breath hitches, and Sojiro nearly curses aloud. Because he suddenly gets what Ren has been trying to ask, and it makes Sojiro's heart twist. Empathy for the boy who has endured so much hardship this past year. Anger at the one who only made it worse.

Except that wasn't quite true, was it? Sojiro may not have paid close attention to the pair's little chess dates, but there had been genuine affection there, at least on Ren's side of things. And those were hardly the only times they'd hung out. Whatever it had been based on, the bond between those two boys had been real. Someway, somehow, Akechi Goro had made Ren _happy_.

Sojiro was in no way prepared for this conversation.

"Why does it hurt so much that he's gone?"

And there it is, Sojiro thinks. Indelible proof of Ren's youth, staring him in the face as though he had all the answers to one of life's most difficult questions.

Or maybe the kid was waiting for condemnation, he thought, taking in the tired, guilty lines of his charge's face. For having the gall to care about a boy who had hurt them all so deeply? Or maybe for failing to stop him from dying. Who knew?

Sojiro stared down at the coffee cooling on the counter, weighing his response. Ren had yet to touch his own.

"Did you know," he started conversationally, "that guy... your first target. Kamoshida? He had a wife."

Ren blinked at the seeming non-sequitor before scrunching his nose as Sojiro's words actually registered. "Really?!" He sounded downright offended. 

Sojiro nodded. "News crew got footage of her balling her eyes out over him after he confessed. Said it couldn't possibly be true, that he was always so kind and loving toward her." He sighed and continued before Ren could interrupt. "Same thing with Futaba's uncle."

"...Really?" Ren repeated, more solemnly this time. 

"Wakaba told me once how much she missed who her brother used to be, before he got himself addicted to gambling."

Ren frowned, tracing the rim of his mug delicately. He still had yet to drink from it.

"Can't help who you care about, kid," Sojiro sighed. He needed a cigarette. "And even the worst people have some parts of them worth caring about, even if only in memory. I'm not going tell you it's wrong that you care about that detective brat, because it's not. Just means you're compassionate. And that's something we could all use a little more of, nowadays."

The sound of Ren's ringtone caused both of them to jump. He had barely slipped it out of his pocket when it seemingly answered itself.

" _Sojiro's right!_ " Futaba's voice chirped over the line. " _I don't really get it,_ " she added bluntly, " _and I still hate him. But you were there for me when no one else was… when I couldn't let anyone else be. If you didn't care so much I would still be locked in my room, hiding from the truth. The fact that you care... is what makes you,_ you."

Sojiro wanted to be exasperated, he really did, but all he managed was a slight warmth in his chest. That girl...

"You don't …" Ren started, grey eyes wide behind the shield of his glasses. "You're not mad?"

"Not at you," Sojiro informed him bluntly even as Futaba chirped a 'Nope' over the phone. 

Relief softens the kid's expression for a heartbeat.

Leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves or not, Ren was still just a teenage boy. One who had been forced to muddle his way through some of the worst humanity had to offer.

And he had come out of it with a capacity for kindness that far surpassed what most deserved. Sojiro would never be able to forgive Akechi or even understand Ren's attachment to the boy, but he would certainly never begrudge him those feelings.

"Thanks," Ren murmurs. He still looks upset, but maybe just a little less troubled than before. 

"Don't mention it." It's quiet for a moment. Sojiro pointedly takes a sip of lukewarm coffee before the silence has a chance to grow awkward. "You'd better drink that before it gets cold."

"You got it, Boss."

And if the warmth in his chest grows at the tiny smile on Ren's face, well, no one has to know that but him.

-

End.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just me, working through my own mixed feelings about Akechi and how he is commonly portrayed in the Fandom.
> 
> Because Royal is my favorite and i have Feelings about it, lol.


End file.
